As Barack Obama’s failure to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp continues to anger his liberal base, interested observers outside the US are beginning to take their potshots at the reeling POTUS. The Chinese news media, for instance, has decided to lightly prod the American president with a little humor — not with its own humor, mind you, but with The Daily Show’s.
Watch the above, or this, or this (different Chinese news stations, same Daily Show episode). It all seems to have begun when CCTV, China’s central broadcast station, ran with the Daily Show clip, according to SCMP. And while the segment is unquestionably funny, Chinese netizens, who are generally fans of Jon Stewart, are laughing for another reason — at their domestic news outlets.
“There are so many problems happening domestically that you choose not to broadcast every day, but instead choose to smell the farts of other countries,” one person posted in the video’s comment section.
“This is our country’s mainstream media … They just want to divert our attention to problems [of other countries] away from poisonous ginger, tainted milk, gutter oil and undrinkable tap water … We are so lucky,” another said, sarcastically.
Others pointed to CCTV’s blatant and “low-blow” attempt to humour audiences with an American political satire show when few of the sort was on offer domestically.
“At least they are free [in the US] to criticise their president openly on television,” one netizen observed on China’s biggest microblogging platform Sina Weibo.
Ah, yes. Chinese media, without the trust of its viewers, can basically never win.
On the other hand, holy crap Jon Stewart, first Egypt, now China (and soon, Iran)… the man might be the most globally recognized American comedian currently working.
CCTV ‘misses irony’ in using Jon Stewart satire to mock US on Guantanamo Bay (SCMP)
I’m surprised that they would show this clip in China, because it it demonstrates the power, stability and strength of an open, liberal democracy where people on TV are free to criticize, mock and satirize govt officials (the president no less!) and govt policies. Aren’t the CCP sensors worried that viewers in China will wonder why they don’t see the same things on Chinese TV?
I saw this on TV too and was surprised, mostly because it ran the whole segment and also was rather well translated.
As for its projection of a “liberal democracy” and what they will allow on Chinese TV, the Guy Fawkes extravaganze “V for Vendetta” was shown on CTTV. Like, uncut.
http://sinopathic.com/v-for-vendetta-shown-uncut-on-cctv-bullet-time-made-free-in-china/